Home | Stories | President and CEO of League of American Orchestras on the state of American orchestras, need to diversify

President and CEO of League of American Orchestras on the state of American orchestras, need to diversify

By David Polk | June 18, 2018

Share this Post

League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen

Last week, the umbrella organization for the country’s orchestras, the League of American Orchestras, convened its annual conference at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago. While pragmatic concerns like marketing and development were addressed, the overwhelming conversation at the conference had to do with diversity and inclusion: diversity of age, gender class, race, and repertoire in a field that is still predominantly white and, at least when it comes to composers and conductors, male.

WFMT Program Director David Polk discussed efforts of orchestras in the U.S. to diversify, as well as the state of American orchestras more generally, with League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen last week after the conclusion of the conference. Hear their conversation below.

recent podcasts

dennis's morning quiz

This morning we heard music by a Romantic era composer whose art songs are a staple of the vocal repertoire. However, few know that this mystery composer also created an opera of his own. “Genoveva” premiered in 1850, but it has never had a fortunate fate on the operatic stage. Who composed “Genoveva”?